Shiplake Spotlight... Geography

Today's Shiplake Spotlight is brought to you by Head of Geography, Mr Jack Cooper. Mr Cooper's passion for Geography came from an early age, collecting rocks on the beach. His aim is to ensure all pupils who study the subject at Shiplake, gain the skills to interpret the world around them and question theories and events that occur on a global scale.

Geography is not just about processes and landscapes but an understanding of the ever changing world we live in and how we as humans are adapting. Geography is not just about what is happening on Earth but is used to identify features on other planets like Mars.

Geography allows all who study it to see the world from a different perspective and helps us to understand different phenomena in the world such as why the weather is like it is today, to why China is becoming the new world superpower.

In fact, Geography has so many strings to its bow - from globalisation to sea floor sediments and animal adaptations - that I guarantee you will find something which will inspire and challenge your way of thinking and looking at the world around you. 

My passion for Geography comes from collecting rocks on a beach as a small boy and questioning why and how they got here, turning to my parents for answers at the time, which I was far from convinced by, but it sparked my curiosity into the subject and I wanted to know more. This led me to study Geology at University and my continued passion today for Palaeontology.

At Shiplake College we aim to make all students who study the subject Geographers who have the ability to interpret the environments around them as well as question current theories and events which happen on a Global scale.

Across Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5 we are always adapting and changing the curriculum to match current teaching methods as well as making units relevant to students in the modern world. Students will look forward to studying topics such as manmade disasters, climate change and environmental management. We believe Geography is also about reading so we build this into the lessons as well, especially during Key Stage 5. If students are able to apply the news they see every day to the Geography lesson this will encourage them to read even more.

We are an innovative department and are building skills like GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and data collection into the students' work. This allows them to explore the potential of further study in Geography or gain an insight into what it might be like to work as a Geographer. We also use the school's Virtual Reality headsets to allow students to explore landscapes from the classroom.

Students, even if they choose not to study Geography further, should leave with a passion for the world around them and a new way of looking and interpreting the world. 

A Level Geography is a very popular subject to study at Shiplake College because of our breadth of experience as a department as well as the success rate of our students. In Geography, like with the school ethos, it's about getting your personal best. Learning Geography is about the journey to the grade at the end of Year 13 and then the destination. It requires you to be more independent and have a passion for the subject and if you can develop both of these you can and will succeed. An increasing number of students each year are choosing to study Geography at Russell Group Universities which as a department, we are very proud of.

All students who study Geography at Shiplake will be glad they did so, as we have a growing and knowledgeable department with a range of skill sets and experiences to do with the subject, it makes the teaching possibilities endless. Students will undertake fieldwork within Key Stage 4 as part of the AQA course and in Key Stage 5 will partake in university-style lectures and reading as well as the potential for wider field trips which are not to be missed.

I will finish with a quote from Barack Obama on Geography: "The study of Geography is about more than just memorising places on a map. It's about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it's about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together."

About Shiplake Spotlight

Shiplake prides itself on the huge array of subjects and co-curricular opportunities available to all pupils. There really is something for everyone to ignite enthusiasm, passion and creativity. At Shiplake, we encourage pupils to find their ‘thing’. The thing they can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning to do, the thing where they set themselves challenges and goals to get better, the thing that motivates and inspires them.

Each week, we will be bringing you a spotlight on an individual subject or co-curricular activity from our teachers, who for them, this is their ‘thing’. We hope their insights will spark some passion in you to learn something new, or simply find out more about what Shiplake has to offer.